Project Description
An alternative to an "OK" dialog box. The message bar is a subtle indicator that is to be used when the user doesn't really have a choice, but you still want to inform them of something.

The Problem/Why?
I've always disliked dialog boxes... especially ones that don't even allow me to do anything except click an "OK" button. In my opinion there is no reason to bother the user when they don't have any choice in the matter anyways.

The Alternative
The alternative I've came up with is this simple and easy to use control that sits on the bottom of a window (by default) and allows you to display messages on it, called a message bar. You have several message types to choose from (Failure, Idle, Neutral,
Success, Warning) and a built-in timer that allows a message to only show for a certain period of time in milliseconds, then go back to the last "permanent" message. A permanent message is a message with a duration of zero and a IsPermanent property
set to true (updating the other property is handled automatically).

What About Yes/No Dialog Boxes?
I've thought about adding buttons to the message bar to allow the user to take a course of action. However, I think a normal dialog box is more suited for that kind of thing since it is good at sticking things in the user's face. Although in a future
release I will likely add a "Don't show this again" CheckBox on the right-hand side of the message bar.

Screenshots

Idle Message (Default Style)

Failure Message (Default Style)

Message Types (Default Style)

Idle Message (Custom Style)

Neutral Message (Custom Style)

Success Message (Custom Style)

Comments, Questions, and Bugs

Please leave comments and/or questions in the Discussions area of the site.

Please report any bugs you find in the Issue Tracker, so they can be fixed.